Revitalizing Kuwait's empty city center

Abstract

The phenomenon of land vacancy in Kuwait's city center and its adverse effect on both the image of the city and land economics was investigated, and issues of symbolism, character, and identity were addressed. In addition to the description of the physical and natural environments, social context, and postwar policies and their impacts were discussed. The history of the city center's physical evolution since the eighteenth century, before and after the discovery of oil, was analyzed. Causes of the problem were identified through the examination of previous plans, reviews, and studies that had been carried out since the early fifties to respond to the quality of the city center's environment. Questions and concerns for future plans were addressed and alternative visions for the city center were suggested. Changes in public policies and implementation mechanisms were explored, as well as tools that need to be used to make implementation of future plans more successful.